This course will address the student's ability to articulate the role of occupation in the promotion of health and well-being to a variety of audiences (i.e. client, caregiver, clinical team members, and the community). The student will demonstrate knowledge of the role of the OTA in case management, care coordination, and discharge planning in a variety of environments. Evidence based intervention models including, but not limited to, adaptive environments, compensatory strategies, and the fabrication/application/fitting of orthotic devices will be discussed in greater depth. Additional topics of discussion will include structures of reimbursement and documentation, electronic health records, effective documentation of need/rationale for services,

advocacy within the profession, identification of personal responsibility re: professional development, abilities, and competencies in relation to job responsibilities.

COURSE OBJECTIVE WITHIN THE CURRICULUM: 

At the end of this course, each participant should be able to:   

1. Demonstrate self-awareness and communication skills critical to providing ethical, compassionate and professional treatment and care for patients and their families.  

1. Students will demonstrate practical skills that identify the practitioner as a valued provider of services within the healthcare team. One focus of the practical skills required to demonstrate the value of the OTA is through implementation of effective communication skills in the written note: referrals, recommendations, discharge planning and reimbursement. 

1. Understand the use of physical agent modalities through application of theory through use. 

1. Utilize acquired knowledge from both didactic, lab, and previous fieldwork experiences to demonstrate clinical reasoning skills and professionalism.   

1. Demonstrate practical skills that identify the practitioner as a valued provider of services within the healthcare team. 

1. Understand the requirements for credentialing, licensure, certification and registration necessary for a successful OTA career.  

1. Understand and verbalize the importance of fieldwork education and demonstrate readiness.  

1. Verbalize the importance of scholarly activities and their impact on the profession. 

1. Establish habits that contribute to an ongoing pursuit of professional development  

1. Understand the impact of how various areas of the law impact occupational therapy practice; employment law, privacy & confidentiality, medical record issues, professional liability and fraud and abuse.  

1. Identify personal, professional abilities, and competencies required to practice as a responsible and accountable clinician.  

ACOTE Standards: B.2.11, B.4.4, B.4.9, B.5.2, B.5.7, B.5.11,   B.5.15, B.5.20. B.5.21, B.5.22,

TEXTBOOKS:  

Required: 

Slack. OT Student to Clinician Making the Transition. 1st Edition 2015. 978-1-61711-025-2. 

Sladyk.  Successful Occupational Fieldwork.  New Edition.  Slack.  ISBN 10 1-55642-562-7, ISBN 13 978-1-55642-562-2 

Previous Texts Utilized: 

Ryan’s Occupational Therapy Assistant 

OTA's Guide to Documentation: Writing SOAP Notes.